


I'll find her

by SamanthaEvergreen



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23302243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamanthaEvergreen/pseuds/SamanthaEvergreen
Summary: This takes place a month before season 2 and Mike isn't dealing with Eleven still missing.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	I'll find her

1984, September 27,

"Do you understand what you did wrong?" Mrs. Deed, their gym teacher asked.

Mike rolled his eyes, but nodded all the same.

"Your lucky Troy didn't want to call his parents because I would have to call yours and this would be the sixth time in the last four months.

Mike said nothing only looked away.

Mrs. Deed shook her head disappointed, "You know Michael your one of the best students according to Mr. Clarke. What happened to the smart boy who loved A.V. club?"

"Nothing," Mike said looking down, "Nothing happened."

"If that's what you want to believe," Mrs. Deed said, "You're free to go then."

Mike got up happily and opened the door to the hallway and started down it.

As he walked he looked up to see Troy talking to another one of his friends and Mike was happy to see his cheek from where he had slapped him across the face was still red.

Both boys looked up at him and Mike just looked back not scared of what they could do to him now, he had seen far, far worse.

After a moment they looked back down and away from him. "Mouth breather," Mike said under his breath as he walked pass them and pushed the door open and was hit with warm air laced with the beginnings of autumn.

"There you are," Dustin said and joined him along with Lucas and Will as they walked to their bikes.

"What happened?" Will asked.

"You were there, I slapped that asshole across the face," Mike answered.

"But what did he say to you?" Lucas asked.

Mike let out a breath. Today had been dodgeball day, a day they all hated since they were the fisrt to be hit and just have to sit on the sidelines watching, bored out of their minds until the bell.

Mike had ended up on the opposite team as his friends, the same one as Troy. He had been doing just fine with ignoring him but of course Troy couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"So what are you going to do now that your little freak girlfriend isn't here to protect you now?"

Mike had ignored him, but of couse he couldn't just stop.

"Whatever happened to that little freak anyway? Did she go back to the hell hole she came out of? Or did she go back to the freak show? You know because that's where frea-"

Mike had dropped the ball he had been holding and walked over to the other boy until he stood right in his face.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me," Troy said, "Your little freak-"

His words were cut off as Mike hit him across the face as hard as he could.

Troy was so surprised that he just stood there, his eyes wide.

"If you ever say anything like that about her again it will be your other arm in a cast!" Mike said, his voice low and he was happy to see the fear in his face now. It was an empty threat of course but Troy didn't know that and no one ever talked about El like that, not when she had saved hawkings from the Demogorgon. The feeling of triumph didn't last long as Mrs. Deed grabbed his arm a moment later and pulled him away.

"He really said that?" Will asked.

"He deserved it," Lucas said as they rounded the corner to where the bike rack was.

"You're not in trouble?" Dustin asked.

"Troy didn't rat me out or anything and he didn't call his parents."

"You got lucky," Will said.

"No, he got lucky," Mike said unlocking his bike and got on.

"Mike…" Dustin said.

"What?" Mike said.

"Nothing," Dustin said finally after looking at him for a long moment.

They rode in silence, Will splitting off first, then Lucas but Dustin followed after him.

Mike biked up his driveway and turned to see Dustin do the same.

"You missed your stop," Mike said getting off his bike.

"I think your missing something," Dustin said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on don't try that bullshit on me, we're all your friends and we all know that your still missing El."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Mike said opening the garage and walked his bike in.

"You know we all were her friends, we were all there when she….killed that Demogorgon. We all have to sit in that same classroom where she…" Dustin trailed off a moment before he went on, "So don't act like your the only one hurting."

Mike had frozen up at his words, "It's different," he said under his breath.

"What?" Dustin asked unable to hear him.

Mike turned back to Dustin, dropping his bike. "It's different! We… we were different than friends."

Dustin looked at him surprised.

Mike closed his eyes a moment before shaking his head, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to snap I ...I just miss her."

" I know, " Dustin said.

Mike nodded but knew he never could, no one knows what it was like losing her right in front of his own eyes, what she meant to him even in those few days he knew her. Yes, he knew that he was torturing himself every night for the slightest chance that El could be alive, just waiting to be saved but he didn't care. To him she was like a drug that he could never get over.

"I'll see you tomorrow for D&D," Mike said.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Dustin said and got back on his bike.

Mike watched him bike away before he hit the button for the garage door and went into the house.

"How was school today?" His mom asked as Mike walked past her heading for the basement.

"Fine, PE was great," Mike replied as he opened the door and started down the stairs.

"Mike?" His mom called looking after him, but just shook her head, "Teens," she said under her breath.

Mike grabbed his walkie talkie and went over to the fort he had made for El and sat on the floor.

He let out a breath before he turned it on. Static rang out around him just like it did every day.

Mike hit the button and the static was muted for a moment.

"Hey, El.. It's day 294. Today was a harder one without you. It's funny sometimes it's just a normal day and I only think about you when I have to sit in Mr. Clarke's classroom. But other days I can't stop thinking about you…" Mike trailed off closing his eyes for a long moment, letting go of the talk button and the static once again filled the silence.

"Mike?"

Mike looked up and for a split second El stood next to the fort. But her hair was curly and she wore dark jeans and a blue t-shirt. But a breath later she was gone and he knew it couldn't really be her.

"Mike time to do your homework," he heard his mom call from upstairs.

"Coming!" Mike called back as he stood up turning off the walkie talkie and let it fall to the floor. Maybe it wasn't her, but when he did find her, it wasn't an if like with his friends because he would find her. And when he did he wouldn't let anything happen to her ever again.


End file.
